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02/02/2013

The Stereotypes Race to Win in Coke Superbowl Ad

Coca Cola's Superbowl ad for 2013.

I saw this ad on my Facebook stream because I think I "liked" Coke's page once.

It is "interactive" in the sense that you can go and chose one of the teams to win, and then chose obstacles that they can place in each other's path, as in one of those old video games with the different outcomes like "Dust: Tales of the Wired West" by Cyberflix.

Muslim groups have complained that it stereotypes Arabs.

The Arabs are indeed shown tugging on camels in the desert. They are not even in the race for some reason; maybe it's because with their camels, and the ability to milk camels, they don't need to run after Coca Cola in the desert.

Women's groups could just as well ask why women are stereotyped as showgirls; why Mexicans are stereotyped as bandits; why white men are stereotyped as riding giant noisy vehicles. They're all stereotypes. It's a story in an ad.

Business Insider says this "scandal" is "fizzling" now. Maybe it's for the reasons I just said: all the people are stereotyped terribly, but only one group is complaining, maybe because they're new at the business of worldwide media stereotypes.

Or maybe Coke really did have a larger role in mind for the Arab in the skit, which they've revealed to mollify the Muslim protesters:

Coca-Cola spokeswoman Lauren Thompson says the Arab character
portrays a movie star filming his latest blockbuster as the race for
Coke begins. The company didn't want to tip viewers off about his
expanded role in the ads until game time.

"They explained themselves pretty well, and I would say we feel
better now that we have a better understanding of the campaign and the
intent," says Abed Ayoub, legal director for the committee. "The
Arab-American community has been experiencing demonization in television
and the media. The fact that this is occurring in one of the largest TV
events of the year aroused concerns."

The fact remains that this commercial does not "demonize" Arabs. It stereotypes them.

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The Stereotypes Race to Win in Coke Superbowl Ad

Coca Cola's Superbowl ad for 2013.

I saw this ad on my Facebook stream because I think I "liked" Coke's page once.

It is "interactive" in the sense that you can go and chose one of the teams to win, and then chose obstacles that they can place in each other's path, as in one of those old video games with the different outcomes like "Dust: Tales of the Wired West" by Cyberflix.

Muslim groups have complained that it stereotypes Arabs.

The Arabs are indeed shown tugging on camels in the desert. They are not even in the race for some reason; maybe it's because with their camels, and the ability to milk camels, they don't need to run after Coca Cola in the desert.

Women's groups could just as well ask why women are stereotyped as showgirls; why Mexicans are stereotyped as bandits; why white men are stereotyped as riding giant noisy vehicles. They're all stereotypes. It's a story in an ad.

Business Insider says this "scandal" is "fizzling" now. Maybe it's for the reasons I just said: all the people are stereotyped terribly, but only one group is complaining, maybe because they're new at the business of worldwide media stereotypes.

Or maybe Coke really did have a larger role in mind for the Arab in the skit, which they've revealed to mollify the Muslim protesters:

Coca-Cola spokeswoman Lauren Thompson says the Arab character
portrays a movie star filming his latest blockbuster as the race for
Coke begins. The company didn't want to tip viewers off about his
expanded role in the ads until game time.

"They explained themselves pretty well, and I would say we feel
better now that we have a better understanding of the campaign and the
intent," says Abed Ayoub, legal director for the committee. "The
Arab-American community has been experiencing demonization in television
and the media. The fact that this is occurring in one of the largest TV
events of the year aroused concerns."

The fact remains that this commercial does not "demonize" Arabs. It stereotypes them.